Homeless (street) children – a social phenomenon in which there is separation of children from families with the loss of permanent home. Hallmarks of homelessness are: complete cessation of contact with family and parents; living in places that not intended for human habitation; providing for a life in ways which are not recognized in society (begging, stealing); submission informal laws.

The number of homeless children increased after the World War I and the Civil War in the USSR which was after the Great October Socialist Revolution. According to one source there were 4.5 million homeless children in 1921 in Russia, according to the others – in 1922 there were 7 million.

1921-1922. Help the starving children of Povolzhye. The orphans whose parents have died of starvation in the children’s community of Stavropol.

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13 Responses to “Homeless Kids of Early USSR”

Amazing pictures. Instead of spending more on defense armaments all countries must use their resources to help the poor and needy better. This will be good for all. I will pray for all those who assisted these poor kids and their families. They are true heroes indeed. Very touching.

No, don’t believe there were ever 7 million homeless kids in the USA in the 1920’s. There were thousands of homeless kids during the Depression, but never seven million. Wonder how many of the kids in these pictures made it through the Great Purges and WWII.

This is mostly legacy of Lenin, not Stalin. As we can see from the pictures, they were taken during the reign of Lenin, and when Stalin was not in the position of power. As a matter of fact there is tendency in modern world to project all wrongdoings of communism to Stalin. This is mainly because Stalin’s opponents – the Trozkists found refuge in the West, and had influence in molding western public opinions, not to mention infiltration of their ideas into the corridors of power in the West, and in academia.
But the reality is different.

It was Lenin who invented Gulags, it was Lenin who introduced political police, it was Lenin who started with mass murders of political opponents and “class enemies”, it was Lenin who introduced forced collectivization, it was Lenin who used chemical weapons against farmers in Tambov, because they refused to give their crops to the state, and it was Lenin who massacred sailors in Kronstadt (same people who started the revolution for him). After all, it was Lenin’s claim that he have no problem to kill one third of Soviet population, so that two thirds may live good.

Stalin just inherited such ideology and practices from Lenin, he did not created it. After all, his opponent Trotsky was also mass murderer, perhaps even greater then Stalin, since most brutal crimes of Bolsheviks occurred during Russian civil war and aftermath. Stalin mostly killed other communists and leftists, and those people were far from innocent.

Well, if I decipher the mumbo-jumbo correctly: Since Nikita (who was Ukrainian i.e. by default Nazi, Neo-Nazi, Nationalist, Bendera… whatever), Lenin was a Savior whose heritage was mismanaged by the villain Stalin. Now, Ministry of Truth declares that Lenin was a villain and Stalin was merely a victim of circumstances.
Putler calls Stalin “an efficient manager”.
To be continued…

What are you talking about? Actually, Putin officially condemned Stalin’s crimes and Stalin personally. So I don’t see the point of mentioning Putin regardless to Stalin and in this topic, unless activists of Ministry of Truth of “Oceania” are doing their agitprop here.

Only ex-USSR country that openly celebrate Stalin is pro-Western, pro-EU and anti-Russian Georgia. There are Stalin monuments on public squares across Georgia. After all, he was Georgian, not Russian, right? So why there are constant accusations towards modern Russia and Russians for deeds of USSR, when other nations of USSR actively participated in communist system, and therefore share the same responsibility? Russian people represent largest number of Bolshevik victims.

The state could have taken these kids in and started giving them education and military training. Very much like junior officer training and military academy. By the time they’re old enough, some of them would have made fine officers and soldiers. And thankful for the state giving them homes and education, they would have been more than proud to serve.
The girls could have gone into nursing etc…

@Barrie D Davey, no there was not a “similar” problem in the USA. Not NEARLY to this degree.
There were a few homeless kids. Most went to orphanages, many went to churches.
We had a small “little gang” problem, with kids that “lived on the streets”, but had homes. Much like today, they would just rather be in a gang.

Kids starved when parents were killed in the civil war after the Bolshevik revolution, AND after the crop failures (weather) starting spring of 1921 and continuing after. Englishrussia did story on this with many gruesome photos in 2009, there is
more historical info there. If Lenin had not been forced to
fight the rotting remains of the Tsarist (White) government and army, along with British and US Interventionists, more could have been done to feed starving people. US’ Herbert Hoover tried aid for Russia early 20’s.

The effects of foreign intervention were negligible, but Bolshevik propaganda used the intervention very cleverly by creating the “external enemy”. The Hoover plan was cancelled after it became clear that Soviets sell the grain abroad instead of giving it the starving population.